To Initiate A Project !

How do we initiate a project? What are the basic documents needed to start the project? I have seen many small companies, who have started the project before knowing all the stakeholders or before finalizing the contract. They are companies who start the development and then start writing down the assumptions and constrains. PMBOK give us direction in executing a particular project, whether it is an Agile or a Waterfall method.

Under PMBOK guidelines, to initiate one need to follow two processes.

One: Develop Project Charter.
The Project Charter doc will answer most of the queries like,

• Why a project is needed?
• Who is the sponsor for the project?
• Who all are the stakeholders?
• What are the assumptions?
• What are the constraints?
• Who is the authority on the project or who will manage the project?

Since developing a Project charter is a process, the process takes following as an input,

• Contract
• Statement of Work
• Enterprise environmental factors
• Organizational process Assets

To give an output called “Project Charter” which answer all the questions asked above.

Two:Develop Preliminary Scope Statement
This document will tell us everything we need to know to get the work done. The document should answer queries like,

• What are the Product requirements and objectives?
• What are the Project requirements and objectives?
• What are the Enterprise environmental factors?
• What are the project boundaries?
• What are the project deliverable?
• What are the project constraints and assumptions?
• What is the initial project organization?
• What are the initial defined tasks?
• What and when are the Schedule milestones?
• How much is the cost estimate?
• How and who is taking care of ‘Project configuration management’ requirements?
• How requirements will be approved?

Since developing a Preliminary scope statement is a process, the process takes following as an input

• Project Charter
• Statement of Work
• Enterprise environmental factors
• Organizational process Assets

To give an output called “preliminary scope statement”.
Once we answer these questions we are ready to create a project plan. Also we should note that, “Preliminary scope statement” is only preliminary, we will define the exact scope in the planning process. Also in Scrum, after initiating the project, we can start with the first iteration, ‘the architecture setup’.

Download the doc:to-initiate-a-project

Related posts:

1. Creating Estimations in Software projects[Agile]: 1 Managing Cost is not an easy task. Though some well...
2. Contracts in Software Projects. No new Project work can be initiated without a proper...
3. Creating Estimations in Software projects [Agile]: 2 After an initial estimation on the scope, PMBOK advices on...
4. (IT) Digital Preservation Project Manager FIXED TERM CONTRACT to 31st March 2010 Our Central Government...
5. Auxis Partners with Project Performance Corporation to Implement Enterprise Architecture Projects for the United … WASHINGTON & CORAL GABLES, Fla.----Auxis, Inc. , a leading South...